Wild Card
by x.SodeNoZangetsu.x
Summary: TITLE HAS CHANGED! Sequel to A Twist of Fate. Knuckles and Rouge finally settle down and prepare to see Justin once more. But, when he arrives, something's different than before. And this time, Eggman's stronger and wants revenge from last time.
1. Prologue

**Okay! Here's the promised sequel for A Twist of Fate! This story will have more couples then just Knuckles and Rouge, but it will mainly focus on them. I do not own Knuckles and Rouge or any other character mentioned in this story (until Justin appears that is). Please enjoy!**

Prologue

After Justin had been sent home, Knuckles' life had gone back to normal. Unfortunately, it had also gone back to being boring with no excitement. Just guarding the Master Emerald day, after day, after day. Each day, Knuckles would sit in front of the emerald, Knuckles Jr. by his side, and think about all the good times he had had with Justin. He also tried to think of what his future had to bring. Then he remembered Rouge supposedly played a huge part in his future. This thought always made the echidna blush, and he tried his best not to think about it, although the thought came to his mind quite often.

If what Tails said four weeks ago about Justin being Knuckles and Rouge's son had been true, Knuckles knew that in order for him to see Justin, he would have to marry Rouge, something Knuckles had never thought much about. He had been a loner most of his life and was quite clueless when it came to romance. Sure he knew the basics about romance: dating, proposing, and then came the wedding. It's just, that's all he knew. Just the steps and no details about what happens in each step.

Knuckles had to admit however, that while Justin was around and Knuckles and Rouge were acting like husband and wife, he seemed to enjoy the fact quite a bit. The two of them just seemed to… click. Knuckles also admitted that he enjoyed massaging Rouge's wing when it got injured and her kiss she gave him as a reward; not to mention the other one he got just for being "cute". He knew those weren't acted out because the first time Rouge forgot Justin was there and the second time he wasn't even around.

Okay, so maybe he did have a thing for her, but how was he ever supposed to tell _her_ that? Run up to her face and say, "Hey, I like you and Tails said we are married in the future so let's go"? No way. He didn't want Rouge to think that he liked her just so he could see Justin again. He loved her, he really, really did! Over the four weeks Justin had been with them, not only had Knuckles bonded with Justin, but he had also bonded closer to Rouge, and Knuckles thought the same went for her.

Knuckles shut his eyes and gritted his teeth together from all the thinking he had been doing. Why did this have to be so difficult? Knuckles opened his eyes and picked up Knuckles Jr. who was lying beside him.

"What should I do?" he asked it.

He knew Knuckles Jr. was only a toy so it couldn't reply, but talking to a toy sounded better then talking to yourself, Knuckles reasoned. Plus, he still felt like Justin left a piece of himself inside that toy, so to Knuckles, it almost felt like Justin was there right in front of him.

When Knuckles Jr. didn't answer, Knuckles made up an answer for him.

"Find her and tell her the truth," he said, acting like he was reciting a suggestion Knuckles Jr. had mentioned. "Forget about the future for a moment, and just worry about the present."

Knuckles smiled a bit as he stared down at the stuffed toy in his hands.

"Good idea," he said.

He set Knuckles Jr. down before standing up.

"I just have to go tell her how I feel."

With that, Knuckles stretched briefly before jumping into the sky and gliding off towards Station Square.

--

It wasn't nearly as difficult as Knuckles had thought it would be. Within a few weeks, Rouge and Knuckles were going out. They went out for a long time until Knuckles popped the question. First he had to conquer his fears of Rouge turning him down, and then he had to wait for the opportune moment. He found it to be her 21st birthday.

On Rouge's 21st birthday, Knuckles took her out to dinner. He made sure it was a high standard place for such a special occasion. He waited until the end of dinner before he decided that it was the opportune moment. Now or never, he had told himself.

He had pulled his chair out and gotten up, declaring he needed to use the restroom, but instead of going there he turned to face Rouge and said, "But first, I have to ask something…" He had gotten down on one knee and recited a speech he had gone over for many previous weeks beforehand. All the speech stated were Knuckles' true feelings. He was finally letting them all out. He explained to her about even when they used to fight, he couldn't help but wait for another fight just so he could see her again. Then he told her about how he had felt the whole time Justin had been there. He told her about him not only growing closer to Justin but growing closer to her as well. Last he finally told her how much he truly admired and loved her.

He had then pulled out a black box and opened it revealing the engagement ring he had gotten her. By now, Rouge was in tears and almost everyone in the restaurant was watching. Knuckles pulled on his collar nervously and gulped a few times before uttering out, "Rouge, will you marry me?"

Rouge had squealed her answer before jumping out of her chair and latching herself onto the red echidna. Everyone in the restaurant started clapping and cheering for the two. Once Knuckles had pried Rouge off him, he slipped the ring on her finger before being attacked by a fury of kisses. That night had been one never to forget.

--

They married a month later in a church in Station Square. Everyone they knew was there and passerby's even watched from the windows. Knuckles was standing at the altar as nervous as could be. When Rouge walked in however, his heart stopped. She looked beautiful. She was in a long white gown and the light from the windows seemed to glow around her. Amy and Cream were holding up the tail of the gown making sure it didn't drag.

When Rouge reached the altar, they faced each other and joined hands as the priest began speaking. Knuckles had zoned out for the most of it and admired Rouge instead. He snapped back into reality when the priest faced Rouge and began to speak to her.

"Do you, Rouge the Bat, take Knuckles the Echidna to be your husband?" he asked her.

She grinned and replied, "I do," while looking intently at Knuckles.

"Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," she said again.

The priest smile and turned to Knuckles.

"Do you, Knuckles the Echidna, take Rouge the Bat to be your wife?" he asked.

Knuckles looked her straight in the eye, smiled and said, "I do."

"Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" he asked.

"I do," Knuckles replied.

The priest made a small bow before backing up slightly. "Knuckles the Echidna, you may kiss your bride," he said.

Knuckles smiled and stepped forward. He stared at Rouge for a moment before throwing the veil back to reveal her beautiful face clearer then before. He ran his hand down her cheek before drawing her in for the kiss. There lips connected, sparks flew, and everyone in the church applauded and whooped. Knuckles could hear Sonic whistling loudly.

"You da man Knux!" Knuckles heard Sonic shout.

Yes, that was the day Knuckles would never forget. No matter what came next, he would never forget that one special day. Ever since Knuckles asked Rouge out on their first date, he had tried to stop thinking about the future and focus on the present. On their wedding day however, the thought of the future never even crossed his mind once. For that one day, there was no Justin. Just Knuckles and Rouge.

**I hope you liked it! Please review! **


	2. Honeymoon and Surprises

**I do not own any of the Sonic characters. They are owned by SEGA and Sonic Team. Enjoy the first chapter! Oh and notice that the title has changed. **

**Here are the ages for the story as well:**

_Knuckles: 21_

_Rouge: 21_

_Sonic: 20_

_Amy: 18_

_Tails: 15_

_Shadow: 22_

_Justin: his age will change throughout the story_

Chapter 1

Two days after their wedding, Knuckles and Rouge left for their honeymoon. They would've left sooner, but Rouge had to wrap things up at G.U.N before they could leave. Once they had things settled they left for Hawaii. They were booked to stay at a hotel right on the beach for 7 nights. Right now neither of them could be happier.

--

It was late afternoon of their last day of their honeymoon. Knuckles and Rouge were walking around the island they were staying on. There wasn't much on the island; a tiny town close by, a few markets, two hotels and one dormant volcano. Otherwise, the whole island was covered in dense forests and wide open plains. Knuckles and Rouge had just finished a very late picnic lunch on top of a hill behind their hotel. They had finished and were now sitting with each other watching the ocean.

"Isn't this great?" Rouge asked, shifting so she was leaning against Knuckles. "Just you and me. This is what I've always wanted, just to spend a few days with you without any interruptions."

"You lucked out too. Instead of a few days, you got one whole week with me," Knuckles said. "And, now that we're married, we have the rest of our lives together."

Rouge smiled at him and looked down at her engagement ring Knuckles had given her. It was on a silver band and in the center of it was a tiny piece of the Master Emerald and on both sides of it were Knuckles and Rouge's birthstones. Rouge loved it. She then turned her attention to her wedding ring. It wasn't nearly as stunning; simply a gold band, but she still loved it. It was proof that she and Knuckles would be together forever. She was brought out of her thoughts by a chuckle from Knuckles.

Rouge looked up at him. "What?"

Knuckles had his eyes closed and was smiling. "I was just thinking," he told her. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Remember when we couldn't stand each other? We always used to fight and argue over the stupidest things? Like who the better treasure hunter was and who was faster," he explained.

"Yeah, it seems kind of childish now doesn't it?" Rouge said.

"I guess it does," Knuckles shrugged.

"What do you mean by 'you guess'?" Rouge asked.

"I mean, we never actually settled any of those arguments did we?"

"What are you saying?"

A devilish smiled cross Knuckles' face. Rouge caught on to what he must be implying and rolled her eyes.

"No Knuckles. I don't want to go back to our childish ways," Rouge said.

"C'mon Rouge, one race. From here to the shore. That's it," Knuckles told her.

"No."

"C'mon, it's just for fun, nothing competitive I promise."

"No."

"Why not?"

Rouge sighed. "Because it's silly Knuckles," she answered.

"So? We're on our honeymoon. We can act however we want!" Knuckles said. He stood up. "One race and then I'll never mention it ever again."

Rouge stood up too. "Fine, but I get a head start," she said with a sly smile that went unnoticed by Knuckles.

"Why?" Knuckles asked.

Rouge took off running down the hill towards the beach. "Never mind!" she yelled.

Knuckles growled before running after her. "Hey! That's not fair!" he called after her.

"You never said anything about rules, Knuxie!" she hollered.

Knuckles had to admit that she was good at seeing loopholes. He picked up his speed. Married or not, this was just like old times and he wasn't going to let her win. He could hear Rouge up ahead laughing.

"_She won't be laughing much longer,"_ Knuckles thought.

By now they were halfway down the hill and Rouge was still in front. She looked over her shoulder to see Knuckles still a couple feet behind her.

"You'll have to be faster to catch me!" she called to him.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. They were almost to the shore. He put on a burst of speed before running up behind Rouge and tackling her to the ground. Rouge screamed as she fell and now Knuckles was the one laughing. They rolled down the rest of the hill together until they stopped at the bottom. Rouge opened her eyes and saw Knuckles smiling down at her.

"Gotcha'," he whispered.

"You know neither of us won," Rouge told him.

"So? That was fun though right?"

Rouge reached her hand up behind Knuckles' head and brought him to her for a kiss before answering, "Yeah it was fun."

Knuckles smile grew. "I told you it would be," he said.

"And you were right," she replied, rubbing her nose against his.

"I'm always right!"

Rouge laughed as Knuckles got up off her. He sat next to her. Rouge remained lying down. They both looked up at the sky. The sun was now just a tiny line on the horizon and the sky was now a navy blue. There was a full moon and billions of stars out. This was paradise. Rouge soon sat up and went back to her earlier position by leaning against Knuckles. They sat in silence for a while watching the stars and listening to the sounds of nature. Rouge heard Knuckles let out a soft sigh.

"I'm going to miss this place," he said in a hushed voice.

"Me too, but we can always come back here for a vacation," Rouge told him.

This made Knuckles think about Justin once more. Would Justin like it here? Knuckles knew he loved beaches, but since he'd be far from home would that make a difference? This triggered another thought. If Justin came back, would he and Rouge be able to do this again? Would they ever be able to have time by themselves? Knuckles tried not to think about it. It probably wouldn't happen for a while anyway.

An hour passed before Knuckles and Rouge finally got up and walked back to the hotel. Instead of going out to a restaurant in the tiny town close by like they had been, they ordered dinner up to their room and ate there. Both of them had had an eventful day and they were equally tired. After dinner they changed and climbed into bed.

Knuckles was lying on his back with his hand behind his head and looking at the ceiling fan when he felt Rouge snuggle up next to him.

"I had a great time on our honeymoon, Knuckles," he heard her whisper.

"I did too. Maybe we can come back here soon for a vacation like you said earlier," Knuckles replied.

He felt Rouge smile against his shoulder. "I'd like that," she said.

Knuckles smiled as well. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He ran his hand through her hair for a while before he finally began to grow tired. He rolled over to find that Rouge had already fallen asleep. Knuckles smiled and kissed her forehead before shutting his eyes and letting sleep overcome him.

--

The next morning, Knuckles and Rouge woke up early to catch their plane back to Station Square. The plane ride was four hours long and by the time they arrived at Rouge's home (Knuckles had moved in with her until they bought a new house) it was the afternoon. Knuckles went upstairs to unpack as Rouge walked into the kitchen to check to see if they had any messages on their phone. They did; five of them. Three of them were from G.U.N to Rouge telling her of things she would need to take care of when she got back. Another was from Amy asking where Rouge was since she had apparently called several times and gotten the answering machine. The last one was from Amy again, but this time she wasn't calling to ask where Rouge was. She sounded excited and the message made Rouge's eyes widen.

"Oh my god Rouge you'll never believe what just happened!" Amy's voice said on the machine. "Sonic and I were on our date when he proposed to me! He proposed to me Rouge! Sonic! He actually did it! We're having our wedding a week from today, which is Monday. I don't know when you'll get this but I hope you and Knuckles will be able to attend! Tell Knuckles Sonic wants him as his best man. Oh my god! This is a dream come true for me! Bye! Call me back!"

The room went quiet as Amy finally hung up the phone. Rouge looked at a small calendar that was near the phone. Today was Saturday, that meant Sonic and Amy's wedding was in two days. Rouge deleted the message before running upstairs to find Knuckles. She found him on their bed. He must've just finished unpacking.

"Knuckles, be prepared to go shopping tomorrow," Rouge said.

Knuckles raised his head up to look at her. "Why?" he asked. "Didn't you do enough shopping in Hawaii?"

"No, it's not for fun," she replied. "Amy called. She and Sonic are getting married on Monday and Sonic wants you as his best man."

Knuckles jaw dropped. "What?"

**I hope this chapter wasn't too fluffy or cheesy. Sorry if it is. Let's just say I wasn't exactly in the zone while typing this. **

**Next chapter will be Sonic and Amy's wedding. Be aware, it will probably be the shortest chapter of the story. Please review!**


	3. Another Wedding!

**Okay, I said this was going to be the shortest chapter and it's actually the longest so far! Weird… anyways, sorry for the wait, but it was Christmas and school just started so it's back to the old grind… Enjoy! Oh and sorry if Knuckles' is a bit OOC in the beginning, I just wanted to add a bit of humor. **

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned any of them, even Eggman, do yo think I'd be on here right now?**

Chapter 2

Knuckles found himself being awoken early the next morning by Rouge. Well, it wasn't exactly early morning, eleven was more like it, but to Knuckles, who usually slept until noon or one, it was early. Rouge continued to shake him to try to force him awake, but Knuckles continued to keep his eyes closed.

"Knuckles, get up," Rouge whispered to him.

Knuckles pushed her hand away. "I don't wanna go to school. Five more minutes," he groaned sleepily.

Rouge couldn't help but laugh at this. "You're not going to school silly. We have to go shopping for Sonic and Amy wedding," she told him.

"That's even worse then school," he muttered, still half asleep.

"Don't let Sonic or Amy hear you say that," Rouge said.

"I won't," Knuckles replied.

The room then fell silent. Rouge figured Knuckles must've fallen back asleep. That was the only thing Rouge wished was different about him: that he was less stubborn.

"Don't make me pour a bucket of cold water on you," Rouge warned him.

Knuckles' eyes shot open at this and he bolted upright in bed.

"I'm up, I'm up! The water won't be necessary!" he told her.

Rouge smirked at him before getting up off the bed and walking out of the room. Once Knuckles heard her head down the stairs, he immediately went back to sleep. Rouge came up a minute later after not hearing any movement and found Knuckles asleep again. She sighed.

"One… two…"

Knuckles jumped out of bed. "Fine! I'll get up!" he hollered before marching into the bathroom to shower.

---

An hour and a half later, Knuckles was following Rouge around the mall. He was still tired and yawning ever other five minutes.

"Tell me again why we came here?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I told you, Sonic and Amy's wedding is tomorrow and we have to get something nice to wear," she explained to him for what seemed like the seventh time in the last 24 hours.

"But, I still have the tux I wore to our wedding and you have plenty of dresses to wear," Knuckles pointed out.

Rouge cringed before turning to Knuckles with a nervous smile on her face. "Uh, oops?"

Knuckles sighed and rolled his eyes. "I knew this was just a trick to get me to come shopping with you," he mumbled.

"I promise we won't be here long," Rouge reassured him. "I just want to buy a new pair of earrings to wear with my dress I'm wearing tomorrow."

**Two hours later…**

"Aaah! We've been here for two hours now!" Knuckles hollered. "I thought you said you were buying one pair of earrings! You have five bags with you! How did I let you buy all this?"

"Well, most of the time you were too tired to notice. Guess you finally woke up fully huh?" Rouge said.

"Now I know why most husbands watch sports and drink beer all day. It's because the wife goes out doing God knows what!" Knuckles complained. "I'm the only exception. Do you see any other men here?" he asked Rouge.

"No, but that's because you're in the women's department," Rouge said.

Knuckles fell to the ground anime style before getting back up and walking in circles.

"Why do I let you drag me everywhere? You know why? It's because I love you. But still that doesn't give you the right to take me wherever. Maybe that's why relationships never last long nowadays. Man, I'm really losing it. I mean, I'm talking really fast and odds are you aren't even listening to me, so I look like a complete freak," Knuckles rambled on, causing Rouge to sweat drop.

She sighed before pulling out a ten dollar bill.

"Here, if it'll make you shut up, take this and go by yourself some food, or a CD, or something men like," Rouge said.

Knuckles snatched the money from her. "Woo! Money! Thanks, have fun shopping!"

With that he ran off leaving a trail of dust and random pieces of paper behind. Rouge just shook her head and continued shopping.

---

Another hour later, Rouge had finished her shopping and went to find Knuckles. He was at the food court stuffing his face, which to Rouge, wasn't that surprising, even though Sonic would stuff his face more than Knuckles would.

They went home soon after (much to Knuckles' pleasure) and Knuckles immediately crashed on the couch while Rouge went to unload all of her shopping bags. Later on that night, Knuckles woke up around seven to eat dinner. After dinner, Rouge called Amy to ask what time the wedding started and where it was being held. Knuckles then had to speak to Sonic about his responsibilities of being Best Man.

Knuckles didn't realize what being the Best Man meant. All he figured he had to do was standing next to Sonic, the groom, during the ceremony and that was it. Not quite.

"I have to make a speech at dinner and hold the ring for them?!"

"Knuckles it's no big deal. It's not that big of a responsibility," Rouge told him watching him freak out.

"What am I supposed to say in the speech?" Knuckles asked her.

"The same thing Sonic said to you at our wedding dinner," Rouge replied.

"What did he say?"

"You weren't listening?"

"…Maybe…?"

"Were you drunk?" Rouge finally asked.

"No! Why would I get drunk before our wedding?" Knuckles snapped back.

"Gezz, cool down Knucklehead, I was just kidding," she said.

"Well, this is no time for jokes! I need to know what to say at the dinner tomorrow," Knuckles told her.

"All you do is talk about what a great guy Sonic is, wish him and Amy luck with their future, and give them a toast. That's all," Rouge explained.

"Oh, I guess that really isn't that bad," Knuckles said.

"I told you it wouldn't be."

"I have to keep the ring until the ceremony too right?"

Rouge nodded. "You hang onto it until Sonic needs it to put on Amy's finger. Don't worry about it, you'll be fine," she said.

After they had everything sorted out, they both headed to bed to prepare themselves for the busy day that lie ahead of them.

---

"Knuckles wake up! We have to get ready!" Rouge said to him early the next morning.

Knuckles only groaned and turned over in the bed. Rouge let out a huff. "Don't make me have to go through what I had to yesterday," she told him.

All she got as a response was a snore.

"I'm going to get a cold bucket of water!" she called, preparing to walk out of the room.

Knuckles shot up in bed like he did yesterday and quickly got up. He headed for the shower again as Rouge went downstairs to prepare for breakfast. Knuckles came downstairs in a bathrobe just as Rouge was setting breakfast on the table. She did a double take on him before her eyes finally stayed on him.

"You're not dressed yet?" she asked.

"No, should I be? The wedding's not until tonight," Knuckles stated.

"I know, but we have to go over to Amy and Sonic's to discuss where the dinner is being held, where the wedding is as well as the reception. Plus, since you're Best Man, you need to get the ring," Rouge explained.

"I thought the bride and groom weren't allowed to see each other at all on their wedding day?" Knuckles said.

Rouge shrugged. "Amy denied it. Plus, we saw each other before we married," she said.

Knuckles shrugged and headed back upstairs and groomed himself before coming back down without the bathrobe (A/N: I say he 'groomed himself' because he doesn't wear anything besides shoes so… He only dresses when he has to. That goes for the rest of the male characters).

They sat down to eat breakfast which consisted of bacon and scrambled eggs. Knuckles was thankful he married such a good cook because he couldn't cook to save his life.

When their plates had been cleared, Rouge took up the dishes and washed them while Knuckles hung out for the time being not really doing anything. Shortly after, they left for Sonic and Amy's house. When they arrived, they were met in driveway by Amy. She had a wide grin on her face and she couldn't seem to keep herself still.

"Hi guys! Come on in!" Amy greeted them and leading them inside.

Knuckles and Rouge followed her to the living room where they met Sonic who was sitting on the couch apparently waiting for them. Amy took a seat next to Sonic on the couch and Knuckles and Rouge sat down on the love seat.

"So," Rouge began, "have you all figured everything out?"

Amy nodded her head rapidly. "Yep! It's all set! We reserved a table at Revirno's for five o' clock. The ceremony is going to be held at the same church you all had yours at seven, and the reception is going to be in the basement of the church," she told them.

Rouge nodded and a silence came over the four. Amy then spoke up.

"You wanna come see my dress, Rouge?" she asked.

"Sure! Lead the way!"

Amy and Rouge got up and walked out of the room. Knuckles and Sonic soon heard them going up the stairs. That left just them. Sonic was fiddling with his thumbs. Knuckles took noticed of this and smirked.

"Nervous?" he asked.

Sonic glanced at him before looking back at his thumbs. "Yeah, I'm really nervous. I don't want to do anything to embarrass me or Amy during the ceremony. What if I burp all of a sudden?" he said.

Knuckles laughed. Typical Sonic.

"Sonic, don't worry you'll be fine. I was, and I'm the klutzy one, not you," he replied.

Sonic couldn't help but smile at his remark. "I guess you're right," he said. "But, weren't you nervous?"

"Of course I was! Actually I wasn't nervous, I was panicking! But I got through it so you will too. You get through anything," Knuckles commented.

This time, Sonic smiled a true smile and met Knuckles' eyes. "You're right Knux. I shouldn't worry. Not this much at least," he said.

Knuckles smiled. There was a short pause where Knuckles and Sonic could hear Amy and Rouge upstairs. What they were saying were muffled however.

"So, where's this ring I'm supposed to carry until you give it to Amy?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic got up for a moment and walked over to a drawer. He opened the top shelf and pulled out a red velvet box and brought it over to Knuckles. Sonic opened the box to reveal Amy's wedding ring. It was a lot like Rouge's, simply a gold band, except there was one small circle of diamond in the center. Knuckles assumed Sonic's engagement ring to Amy was a bit less "spectacular" then Knuckles' was.

Sonic handed to box to Knuckles and Knuckles carefully put it away.

"And for Pete's sake Knuckles, don't lose it!" Sonic added in a sharp whisper.

"If you thought I was going to lose it, you shouldn't have made me your Best Man," Knuckles said.

"What, and use Tails? He's only 15!" Sonic exclaimed.

"He's probably more responsible than I am."

"That's true," Sonic mumbled.

Knuckles dismissed the insult as Rouge and Amy came back downstairs. Rouge told Knuckles they had to leave since it was already two o' clock. Knuckles and Rouge said their goodbyes for the time being and left.

When they were back home at Rouge's, Rouge headed upstairs to shower and get ready, seeing as she took hours. Knuckles stayed downstairs and ate a quick snack before settling on the couch to watch TV.

---

Rouge was finally ready at 3:15pm so that's when Knuckles decided he better get dressed himself. He put on his tuxedo he had worn during his and Rouge's wedding. Rouge came out of the bathroom after putting on her new earrings and adjusting her makeup. She walked up and stood behind Knuckles who was adjusting his tie in the mirror. He finally noticed Rouge in the mirror and spun around to find himself lip locked with his new wife.

"So, what do you think?" Rouge asked him after the kiss had ended.

Knuckles looked her up and down. She was wearing a skin-tight navy blue dressed that went down to her ankles. She also had on black high heels and white gloves. Knuckles felt his cheeks steaming.

"You look great… like always," he finally commented.

"Awwww thanks Knuxie!" she exclaimed. "You look dashing as well."

Knuckles blushed harder. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Rouge looked at the clock by their bed and gasped.

"Come on Knuckles, we have to go or we'll be late!" she yelled already halfway down the stairs.

Knuckles ran over to his nightstand and grabbed the box Sonic had given him. He opened it up to make sure the ring was there and after assuring himself that he was, hurried downstairs and out the door.

---

Rouge and Knuckles made it to Revirno's, a five star restaurant, at ten 'till five. They walked in and asked told the hostess they were here for a pre-wedding dinner. The hostess knew exactly who they were talking about and led them over to a large table set nicely. Sonic, Amy, and Tails were already there. The five sat down and talked while they waited for the others to show up.

Eventually everyone was present. Shadow, Cream, Blaze, and Silver came shortly after and the dinner proceeded. The waiter came by to take their orders and then walked away to the kitchen.

Once everyone's dinner was out and all the wine glasses had been refilled (A/N: In this story, they can drink at the age of 20. Tails and Cream have sparkling cider.), Knuckles stood up and cleared his throat to prepare for the speech he had to make.

"May I have everyone's attention?" he asked. Everyone quickly quieted. "First of all, I would just like to congratulate Sonic and Amy and wish them luck in their future. May it be as good as you want it to be. I, personally, think that the future for you two will be full of surprises. Sonic's is by best friend and I think he made the right choice on the girl he asked to marry," he said, causing Amy to blush. "To Sonic and Amy!"

"To Sonic and Amy!" Everyone at the table echoed.

Knuckles smiled as he sat down; glad he got that off his chest. He felt Rouge rub his arm under the table. He looked over at her and she winked. Knuckles gave her a smile before facing his food and digging in.

---

Dinner was over around 6:30pm, giving everyone just enough time to make it to the church, which was only a few blocks away. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge piled in the limo as the rest followed in their cars. Shadow was driving Knuckles and Rouge's since he had come with Tails.

They all arrived at the church. Sonic and Amy had to rush out because the priest demanded that they be separated for at least a little before the wedding. Surprisingly, there were more of Sonic and Amy's friends at the church that hadn't been invited to dinner as well as their families. Even Sally, Sonia, and Manic were there.

As the time drew closer to seven, Knuckles walked up to the alter to take his place as Best Man. He quickly searched his pocket for the wing and was relieved when it was still there. He didn't want to let Sonic down. He watched as Rouge also walked up to the alter, apparently Amy had asked her to be Matron of Honor. Everyone in the audience took their seats. Soon Sonic walked out from some room in the back and stood in between Knuckles and Rouge and in front of the priest. He glanced at Knuckles for a brief Knuckles who gave him a thumbs up and a wink. Sonic nodded before looking at the doors which Amy would walk through in any minute.

The lights then dimmed and everyone got quiet as the ceremony began. The two doors opened and Sonic watched Amy walking down the aisle with Cream holding up the tail of her dress. Once she got to the alter, she turned to face Sonic and Cream took her seat beside Tails. The priest then began his speech.

"Do you, Amy Rose, take Sonic the Hedgehog to be your husband?" he asked

Amy grinned madly and said, "I do."

"Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Amy nodded. "I do."

"Do you, Sonic the Hedgehog, take Amy Rose to be your wife?"

Sonic gulped, but gave a smile and said, "I do."

"Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," Sonic repeated.

The priest smiled. "The rings?"

Sonic turned to Knuckles as Amy turned to Rouge. Knuckles and Rouge pulled out the rings and handed them to Sonic and Amy. The two then turned to face each other again as they slid the rings onto each others fingers. The priest smiled again.

"Sonic the hedgehog, you may kiss your bride," he said.

Knuckles could tell Sonic was shaking a bit as he leaned in closer to Amy. He suddenly wrapped his arms around her and swung her down so he was holding her and she was almost touching the ground before he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. The audience cheered loudly.

"You did good Sonic," Knuckles whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "You did good."

After the ceremony ended, everyone headed to the basement for the reception. There was more food, drinks, and dancing. Sonic and Amy had their newlywed dance first. Knuckles, Rouge and the rest watched from the side. Knuckles smiled as he slid his arm around Rouge's waist. Rouge smiled and leaned into him.

When Sonic and Amy's dance was finished, everyone else was allowed to dance. Rouge immediately dragged Knuckles out, but he didn't protest. They danced to about three songs together before Knuckles walked over to Sonic to congratulate him and Rouge walked over to Amy.

Later on in the night, Rouge was standing by herself in the bathroom. She was debating on whether or not to tell Knuckles some news she had. She had been keeping it secret for a while, but she felt now was as good a time as any. She sighed before looking at herself in the mirror and walking out of the bathroom.

"I'll do it," she told herself. "I'll tell him."

Rouge searched the room for her red echidna. She finally spotted him sitting at one of the tables, luckily for her he was by himself, drinking a glass of wine. She slowly headed over to him.

"Hey, nice reception huh?" he asked, suspecting nothing.

"Yeah, it is great," Rouge muttered.

She sighed once more.

"Knuckles… I need to ask you something…"

Knuckles looked concerned. "What? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, that's not it," she replied.

"Then what's the question?" he asked.

She stared at the floor before looking right in his eyes and asking, "Are you ready to see Justin again?"

**Ooooooh! Cliffy (sorta)! Please R&R and I'll update again! **


	4. Real as Can Be

**WARNING! SHORT CHAPTER AHEAD! Yeah, so it s really short. This is just like a bridge to the next chapter. Plus, I tried to make this scene really deep and didn't want to ruin it with anything else. Please enjoy and don't flame about the shortness. ;)**

Chapter 3

**Previously…**

_"Knuckles… I need to tell you something…"_

_Knuckles looked concerned. "What, is something wrong?" he asked. _

_"No, that's not it," she replied._

_"Then what's the question?"_

_Rouge stared at the floor for a moment before looking right in his eyes and asking, "Are you ready to see Justin again?"_

---

Knuckles immediately spit all the wine that was in his mouth at that moment out at the question. He set the glass down on the table before blinking a few times and looking up at Rouge.

"W-What did you j-just say?" he asked, tripping over his words.

Rouge now looked a bit afraid to tell him.

"Are you ready to see Justin again?" she repeated.

Knuckles was silent for a moment before replying, "I guess. Why do you ask?"

Rouge just had to sweat drop at this. How dense was he? She was actually considering just dropping it and walking away. Perhaps she should wait a bit longer to tell him. No, that wasn't like her. Rouge never backed down from anything and she wasn't about to start. She'd just have to be as specific as she could.

"I'm asking because I… I'm p-pregnant," she muttered.

"Oh." Knuckles didn't even seem phased by the news. It must've come to him shortly after though because his eyes grew wide and he turned back to face Rouge. "Wait, what the hell?!" he asked.

Rouge really didn't feel like running through all this again. Luckily for her, Knuckles finally seemed to be catching up on things.

"You really are pregnant?" he asked, his voice quavering a bit.

Rouge almost snapped back with a sarcastic remark, but thought against it. So instead she just nodded. Knuckles was silent again. Apparently he was running all this through his head.

"How long have you known?" he asked her.

Rouge winced. This was the question she was afraid to answer. If he knew the truth, he could get mad because she had been keeping secrets from him. But if she didn't tell him, he'd just keep asking.

"Two weeks," she answered, her voice just above a whisper.

"Two weeks?! And you didn't tell me?"

"Knuckles, I'm sorry. I just didn't know if you were ready or not," she told him, hoping he'd understand. "I was afraid to tell you."

Knuckles voice was calm and quiet. Rouge had never seen him so calm, usually he was always stressing over something. He gave her a small smile before standing up and taking her hands in his.

"Why were you afraid to tell me?" he asked, the smile still on his face, like this was all some kind of game.

Rouge looked away from him, somehow beginning to grow nervous with how close they were.

"I… I-I don't know," she finally answered.

Knuckles gave a slight chuckle before smiling again.

"Rouge, there was no reason for you to be afraid to tell me you were pregnant. I'll admit it was quite shocking with us being so young and all," Knuckles said. Rouge tried to cut him off, but Knuckles put his finger on her lips to let him continue, "but that doesn't mean I'd be angry with you. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. It happens to everyone," he then pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise I'll stand right by you through every minute, every day, until this is over, because that's why I'm here. I'm here to make sure nothing happens to you."

Rouge squeezed Knuckles as a few tears streaked down her cheeks. Knuckles had never said anything like that to her before and hearing it now made her heart swell to the point of which it felt like exploding. Earlier on in her life, before she had met Knuckles, she had wondered if she would ever find the perfect man. How many tries would it take? Now, she had the perfect man, she was being held in his strong arms, and it only took one try to find him.

"I love you Knuckles," she whispered. "Please don't ever leave me."

"Now why would I do that?" Knuckles asked, pulling back slightly.

"Because I kept a secret from you. A secret I should've told you right when I found out," Rouge replied.

Knuckles smiled. "Then promise me, from now on, whatever happens, that you'll tell me everything, and I'll promise to tell you everything in exchange. Deal?"

Rouge smiled. "Deal," she said.

Knuckles kissed her before pulling her back into embrace. They spent the next few minutes in each others arms, the last song of the wedding reception playing in the background. Knuckles watched Sonic and Amy dance their final dance. He smiled, knowing how Sonic must feel right now because Knuckles had felt the exact same. The feeling of having the perfect girl- correction, woman- in your arms knowing you'll be together for the rest of eternity was the best feeling a man could ever feel. The feeling of knowing your wife is pregnant and that you'll soon be a father is the second best feeling a man could ever feel.

"You know," Knuckles said, breaking the silence. "I'm actually excited about being a father. I'll be able to see Justin again. It'll be just like old times."

Rouge smiled and nuzzled up against him. "Only this time, it's real," she added in a soft voice.

Knuckles smiled and pulled her in for another kiss.

"Real as can be," he whispered.

**R&R and the next chapter will get here quicker than you can say "Luv4Knux hates school" fifty thousand times! XD LOL. **


	5. Forces of Evil

**Okay, it's been a bit over a month and all I have in this short chapter, but please don't hurt me. I've been sick and so out of it, that I've had no good ideas. Then tonight at dinner of all places, this new idea came into my head. Let's just call this chapter yet _another_ bridge to the next. Heh, sorry... I know that the last two chapters have been really short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer. I promise!!! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eggman, Sonic, Knuckles, or Rouge. Although the shady creature mentioned in this chapter is my own creation. You just have to wait and see who he is later on. (wink, wink)**

Chapter 4

Eggman was sitting in a large chair holding some sort of a drink. The room was too dark to tell what it was exactly. There was a large screen in front of him with all sorts of data on it. He took another sip of his drink and smiled. Immediately after Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles had destroyed his last base, Eggman had fled and built another one in an unknown mountain range. On foot, it was very difficult to get to, but that was no problem for Eggman since he had that hover car of his. Ever since, he had begun work on a new type of robot. Much stronger ones that would give Sonic a run for his money.

The sound of metal on metal was heard and Eggman spun around in his chair to see one of his robot servants standing before him. The robot bowed before speaking.

"Excuse me, master, but you have a call. A very important call," the robot said.

"Is it _him_?" Eggman asked.

The robot nodded. "Yes, master. He said it was urgent."

Eggman nodded. "Very well," he said. "Dismissed."

The robot gave another bow before scurrying from the room. Once it was gone, Eggman turned back to the computer screen. He pressed a couple buttons before the screen changed to what appeared to be blackness.

"You wanted me?" Eggman said.

A pair of blood red eyes were revealed on the screen and a very scratchy voice answered him.

"Yes, I did," it replied. "Have you gotten any farther on the prototypes?"

Eggman nodded. "Of course I have. Prototype A is complete, and B and C are currently in the making," he said.

"How much longer until they're all finished?" the voice asked.

"It all depends," Eggman answered.

"Well, that better change. I hope you're aware that our time is running out. I've been keeping a close eye on the echidna and bat you told me to watch," the voice explained.

"And?" Eggman leaned forward in his chair.

"The bat seems to be even further into her pregnancy than we thought. The child will come soon and you know what that means," the voice said.

Eggman nodded. "They don't know you're watching them, correct?"

"Not at all," the voice said back. "I've been keeping far enough away from them, plus, you should know that nobody can catch me. I'm a natural at this kind of stuff."

"Yes, I know, that's why you're perfect for the job," Eggman told the voice with a toothy grin.

"What about my reward?" the voice inquired. "You mentioned that if I helped you-."

"Yes I know," Eggman cut him off. "All in good time, my good friend, all in good time. We have to wait for the right moment. We have to wait until the child is born and at a certain age."

"But, that'll take years!"

"I know, but it gives me more time to plan and make my robots stronger. I will make certain that this time, I will be the one to emerge victorious," Eggman said, cackling afterwards.

"Why didn't you capture the child when it appeared the first time?" the voice asked from the other line.

Eggman shrugged. "There were several reasons, many I forgot, but all I know is that the child has some certain power. Its power could just happen to be enough for me to rule the universe and finally destroy Sonic and all of his friends!"

"What is this power the child supposedly possesses?" the voice asked again.

Eggman smirked. "All in good time my friend. You'll just have to wait and find out," he replied. "Now, make sure to keep a close eye on them and notify me immediately when the child is born."

The red eyes narrowed in the darkness, becoming nothing more than tiny slits. "Fine," the voice muttered. "But only if you continue to develop the prototypes. I paid good money for all that material."

Eggman nodded again. "Oh don't you worry, these robots will be my best yet; you can count on that," he boasted.

"We will see," the voice hissed before the line was cut off.

Once the line went dead, Eggman spun back around in his chair and grinned.

"You just wait Sonic; especially you Knuckles. None of you have any idea what's about to happen. This will by far be the most difficult, if not impossible challenge you will ever face. I swear by it," he whispered to himself in a dark, menacing voice, before bursting out into more laughter than before.

**See how short it was? But, don't be turned away because I've got a huge plot twist that I don't think any of you would've ever guessed would happen. So please stay tuned to find out just what it is! Also, don't forget to drop a review! **

**P.S. For all those who loved Twist of Fate for Justin, be happy because he's going to make his debut again soon! **


	6. A Warning

**Sorry about the long wait. I wanted to finish my Pokemon story before continuing this one. It's just too hard to write two stories at once. Oh well. I hope this chapter will make up for the three month long wait. As always, enjoy.**

**DISLCAIMER: I don't own anything in this chapter except for the shady figure. He will be my own creation. **

* * *

Chapter 5

**Several Months Later…**

Rouge was now almost 7 months into her pregnancy and it was beginning to show- much to her disgust. She was having mood swings all the time now. She'd wake up grouchy, but then later on in the day she'd become happy and act like her normal self; however she always seemed to get angry again just before bed. Knuckles had found the pattern in her mood swings so he chose to only speak to her when she was happy.

Rouge had also begun to eat much more as well. She was constantly snacking on chips or an apple and with regular meals she ate large portions of everything.

She was also spending a lot of time in the bathroom too. One morning Knuckles had woken up to find Rouge doubled over in front of the toilet bowl. When he saw she was throwing up, he freaked and started to call 911. Rouge told him this was natural when someone was pregnant. Knuckles believed her, but whenever Rouge went into the bathroom now, Knuckles always waited outside the door in case something bad happened.

However, Rouge's behavior wasn't the only thing that had changed over the months. Knuckles had finally gathered up enough courage to announce to Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Shadow, that Rouge was pregnant. Amy and Cream squealed and wouldn't leave Rouge alone now. Sonic seemed overjoyed and Tails seemed quite happy for them as well. As for Shadow… well, you could never tell with him.

Knuckles and Rouge had also added a new room to the house for Justin when he arrived. Well, they didn't actually add a whole new room; they just cleaned out and rearranged an old room in the house that Rouge never used anymore. At first, Knuckles and Rouge worked on it by themselves, but as the months added on and Rouge began to gain more weight, she had to stop helping and rest. Knuckles continued working along with Sonic and Tails, and occasionally Shadow.

The room was now finished, but it was not furnished. The walls were a light blue and the carpeting was white. Knuckles had wanted to make the walls red, but Rouge had told him it might be too bright. The closet that was once full of junk had been cleaned out and re-painted the same baby blue as all the other walls and was ready to stock toys and clothes. Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Shadow truly outdid themselves.

--

Knuckles and Rouge had decided to go shopping to decorate Justin's room. Rouge was at first hesitant of going out in public as big as she was, but she soon got over it and decided to go. How else were they going to decorate? Knuckles wouldn't go shopping by himself unless his life depended on it.

As of now, they had bought a new crib, installed a fan, and Rouge had picked out a cute little teddy bear. They had returned to the mall today to see if there was anything else they needed. They had been shopping for a while and had found nothing useful. Knuckles and Rouge decided to break for a bit and have lunch. Rouge was also starting to feel bad again so she thought it was best to sit down for a while and catch her breath. They were situated at a table in the food court. Knuckles was eating a slice of pizza and Rouge was scarfing down a SubWay foot long sub.

Knuckles just happened to be scanning the food court when he noticed a peculiar looking figure sitting at a table a few feet away from them. The figure wore a black fedora, a black trench coat, and a dark pair of sunglasses. He wasn't positive, but to Knuckles, it seemed as though the figure was looking directly at him.

"Knuckles?" Rouge brought him out of his trance. "What are you staring at?"

Knuckles shook his head. "Oh, nothing, just…" he glanced back at the figure again who was now speaking into a cell phone. "I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Who was it?" Rouge asked him.

"Oh, it was some stranger who looked like this guy I used to know," he lied.

Rouge cocked her head at him. "Knuckles, are you sure you're okay? You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm fine, really," Knuckles told her.

Rouge believed it, but Knuckles knew his answer was false. Something was bothering him. It had something to do with that mysterious figure as well. Something about it gave Knuckles shivers and he immediately did not like whoever this guy was.

--

"What are they doing?" Eggman asked through a cell phone.

He was sitting comfortably inside his base. He was drinking another drink, but this time light flooded in through a skylight above and revealed the drink to be some sort of Scotch.

"They're eating lunch right now," the man in the trench coat replied, keeping a close eye on the echidna and bat.

"Have they spotted you at all?" Eggman asked again.

"The echidna has. He doesn't know who I am because of what I'm wearing right now, but I get the feeling he knows something is up," the man answered back.

Eggman clenched his fist. "I hate that echidna," he whispered.

The man smirked at this.

"Well," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

Eggman fell silent for a moment. The man on the other line could hear his breathing and waited for a response.

"Wait until they get up. Then I want you to give pursuit," Eggman told him.

"Will do."

And with that the man hung up.

--

Once Knuckles and Rouge had finished lunch, they decided they might as well resume shopping. Rouge told Knuckles she had to use the restroom and for him to wait for her at the table. Knuckles told her he would and Rouge left.

While she was gone, Knuckles tried to keep his eyes of the figure in the trench coat, but found it hard. He wanted to find out who this figure was, but he was afraid of who he would discover. They hadn't heard from Eggman since they had destroyed his base last time. Knuckles couldn't help but wonder if it was him.

_"If it _is_ him he sure has lost some pounds…"_ Knuckles thought.

The one thing that bothered Knuckles the most that the figure would seem to look in Knuckles' direction, then towards the bathrooms, and talk into his phone again. Knuckles' gut feeling told him they were being watched and they needed to leave. He was going to go with his gut feeling this time. He couldn't have Rouge getting in trouble in the condition she was in. The baby was only a month and a half away.

When Rouge returned from the bathroom, Knuckles got up and told her that he thought they should leave. He lied to her by saying that he thought he had left the front door of the house unlocked. Knuckles hated lying to her, but he was afraid if he told her the truth that she would begin to panic and Knuckles remembered Rouge's doctor had told her to keep as calm as she could.

Knuckles and Rouge left the food court and headed towards the other side of the mall to the parking lot where their car was parked.

--

The man dialed a number on his cell phone as he got up from the table.

"Yes?" Eggman's voice answered on the other line again.

"The bat and echidna have left," the man reported.

"Then what are you waiting for? Follow them!" Eggman snapped back.

"Should I just stalk them or do you want me to try and attack?"

Eggman thought about this for a while. A wicked grin then stretched across his ugly face.

"I want you to ambush them once you're outside the mall. Make sure no one's around. I don't want you hurting them too badly now. That's my job. And besides, the baby has not been born yet. We don't want to harm it," Eggman explained to him.

"Understood," the man replied. He started following Knuckles and Rouge through the crowd of people, staying just far away enough so he could still see which directions they went.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about our accord, Doctor," the man said curtly.

"I haven't," Eggman replied gruffly. "Now get off the phone and pay attention to what you're supposed to be doing."

The line was disconnected and the man stalked off after Knuckles and Rouge.

--

Knuckles hurriedly pushed past people in the mall. He wanted to get to the car as fast as he could. Rouge was being dragged along with him. Knuckles had a firm grip on her hand so the people couldn't break them apart.

"Knuckles, can we slow down a bit, please?" Rouge asked. "I need a rest."

Knuckles checked over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the figure in the trench coat following them.

"No. I'm sorry, Rouge, but we can't rest right now. When we get to the car you can," Knuckles replied.

"Why are you rushing so much? You're acting like someone's following us," Rouge told him.

When Knuckles didn't respond, Rouge got a sick feeling in her stomach.

"Is someone following us?" she asked, her voice a low whisper.

Knuckles only nodded. He checked back over his shoulder and saw the figure was gaining on them. He swept Rouge into his arms and then bolted off. He knocked several people over, but he couldn't stop to apologize. He had no idea who this mystery figure was, but he was in no mood to find out right now.

--

The man saw Knuckles run off and he smiled. He was hoping for a good chase. He picked up his speed as well and sped through the mall, pushing people over and not bothering where he was running.

"Move! Out of my way!" he shouted as he pushed over several more people.

Knuckles was nearing the exit doors now and the man couldn't let him escape. He reached into his pocket and rested his hand on the small revolver inside. He was hoping he would get to use it soon.

--

Knuckles looked behind him one last time as he neared the doors. The figure was still following them and now he was hot on their trail. Knuckles saw the figure reach into its pocket and Knuckles gulped figuring what must be inside. He turned around again and pushed open the doors and ran out into the parking lot.

"Where's the car?" he asked, out of breath.

Rouge pointed straight ahead of them. "Over there," she said.

Knuckles looked behind him again and saw the man opening the door. He didn't have time to get to the car. Thinking quickly, he dashed off and ran off down the sidewalk that went around the mall.

Just as he turned a corner, a gunshot echoed through the air. Knuckles' heart stopped. His assumption had been correct. Whoever was chasing them was armed.

"Holy crap, they're firing at us?" Rouge asked.

She tried to look over Knuckles shoulder, but Knuckles wouldn't let her.

"Stay in front of me. I can't let you get hurt," Knuckles told her.

Knuckles looked behind him again before he took a sharp right turn into a small alley-way in between two buildings of the mall. He stopped and set Rouge down. She was panting heavily and was doubled over.

"Are you okay?" Knuckles asked.

"I'll be fine," Rouge answered. "I just need a rest…"

"I'm afraid now isn't time to be resting," a cold voice said.

Knuckles' blood ran cold as he looked around him. He spotted the figure in the trench coat standing on a ledge of the building looking down at them.

Knuckles growled before barking, "Who are you and why are you following us?!"

The figure in the trench coat leapt off the ledge he was standing on. He landed in front of Knuckles and Rouge and smirked although it wasn't visible due to the heavy shadows.

"I'm glad you asked… Knuckles," the figure said.

"How do you my name?" Knuckles asked.

"Let's just say I have my sources."

Knuckles growled and the figure continued talking.

"As I was saying, I have been sent to give you a warning. You and your entire family are in danger. However, it is impossible to escape. If I were you, I'd start planning an attack. There are great forces of evil arising and you'll need all the help you can get," the figure explained.

"Oh yeah?!" Knuckles hollered.

He charged at the coated figure attempting to punch him, but the figure simply eluded the attack. Knuckles was shocked by how fast the figure moved. Knuckles wasn't even aware that the figure had kicked him in the chest until he hit the wall at full force.

The man smiled and walked towards Rouge. Rouge stood a firm ground and got into a fighting stance.

"Don't you touch her!" he heard Knuckles yell at him from his spot on the ground.

The man didn't touch her. Instead he whispered to her, "I'd be sure to keep a close eye on your child when it's born. We wouldn't want anything happening to it now would we?"

Before Rouge could say anything back, the figure disappeared. Just like that. Rouge looked around the alley to make sure the man had left before running over to Knuckles.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a bit sore. He didn't hurt you, did he?" Knuckles asked back.

Rouge shook her head, but said, "Knuckles I'm worried. He told me to look out for the baby when it's born. It's like he's giving us a warning about something happening once the baby's born. What should we do?"

Knuckles stood up. "I don't know what all this means, but for now, I think we should let Sonic and the others know. That man gave us a warning, and I think we should take it with great caution."

Rouge agreed and the two rushed to their car before anything else could happen. Up on top of the mall, the figure watched as Knuckles and Rouge drove off towards Sonic's house. A wide grin crossed his face. Everything was going according to plan.

**Ooooh, what's going to happen? I know and you don't so I think you should stay tuned to find out!! Oh yeah, and Justin will be in the next chapter! **

**I'll try to update faster this time. School got out Friday so now I have all summer to devote to finishing this story! Well, that and do my summer reading project… Yuck. **


	7. Justin's Back!

**I feel like I'm failing in my duties as an author… Yes, I know I have become real lazy with updating this story. And it's the only one I'm working on! Well, it **_**is**_** summer and I don't plan to spend it in front of a computer the entire time. But still, I know it's rude to leave you all hanging. **

**DISCLAIMER: I own Justin, the nurse, and the wolf in the waiting room. That's about it…**

* * *

Chapter 6

**A mountainous region several days later…**

The large metal doors opened as the figure in the trench coat stepped into the dark office. He approached his master who had his back to him. He kneeled down before speaking.

"I have accomplished the task, master," he announced.

"You didn't hurt them did you?" the unmistakable voice of Eggman answered back.

"No sir. All I did was punch the echidna when he tried to attack and told them both to watch out when the child is born," the figure said.

"Good."

The coated person then stood and asked, "But sir, don't you think it would've been better to give them no warning at all? Now they know something is about to happen. They could be plotting against us."

"Who's the evil mastermind here? You or me?" Eggman snapped, not even bothering to turn around in his chair.

The mysterious person growled before replying, "You are."

"Then I know what I am doing," Eggman replied. "In fact, if Knuckles and batgirl do run to Sonic for help, I'll be able to accomplish my task easier. You'll see. Everything will work out."

"For both of our sakes, you best be correct," the figure spoke before leaving the premises.

Eggman only grinned as he watched a screen showing Knuckles and Rouge talking to Sonic.

--

**Sonic and Amy's house…**

"They didn't say anything else? They just threatened you to keep an eye on the baby?" Sonic repeated for the umpteenth time.

"For the last time, yes Sonic!" Knuckles snapped back, obviously very frustrated.

"Hmmm… I see," Sonic mumbled.

"This guy chased us through the mall, out to the parking lot, ambushed us, punched Knuckles in the face, and threatened our baby! What does this guy want?" Rouge asked.

"Obviously it was some kind of warning that something will happen in the near future. Why they would actually _tell_ you beats me," Sonic said. "If I was going to attack somebody, I wouldn't let them know in advance."

"So what are we supposed to do? The baby's due any day now!" Knuckles said.

Sonic sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know Knuckles. All I can say is to protect that baby with your lives when it is born."

Amy, who had been silently sitting on the couch, then spoke up.

"Sonic, do you suppose that's why Justin came into the past years ago? Maybe whatever happened then is about to happen again," she said.

"You may be right Amy," Sonic said. "I wish Tails were here. He'd probably know."

"Where is Tails anyway?" Knuckles asked. "We haven't seen much of him lately."

Sonic grinned. "I hear he and a certain bunny have been hanging out quite often now," he said.

"Guys, we are getting away from the subject here," Rouge said. "What should we do? Who's behind this?"

"There's only one person I can think of that would do this, and that would be Eggman," Sonic said.

"Well, it definitely wasn't Eggman who was chasing us through the mall. He was way too skinny," Knuckles said.

"He must be paying someone to do the dirty work for him. Typical Eggman. He's too afraid he'll be stopped if he shows his face," Sonic snickered.

"So what if Eggman is planning to send Justin to the past? What can we do to stop it?" Rouge asked.

"Well, how old was Justin we he was sent back the first time?" Amy asked.

"He was four when I found him," Knuckles replied.

"Well, then we have four years until he attacks. By that time, we should be able to stop whatever it is he's planning," Amy told everybody.

"But, what if he's planning something completely different? He could attack any day once Justin's born," Knuckles said.

"Well, before we do anything else, we have to wait until Justin _is_ born," Sonic said.

There was a painful shriek from Rouge and all eyes turned to her.

"I think he's coming now," she gasped.

"What?!" Knuckles yelled. "But, the doctor said he wouldn't come for another week!"

"Well, the doctor was _wrong_ Knuckles!" Rouge hissed. "Now get me to a hospital now! Or do you want me to have the baby here?"

Knuckles dashed for the phone as Amy and Sonic tried to keep Rouge calm. They could hear Knuckles yelling panicked words into the phone in the next room. Rouge couldn't keep anything in focus though. Her head was splitting in pain and it was all she could do to keep from yelling.

In five minutes, an ambulance pulled into the driveway and the medics rushed in and loaded Rouge onto the stretcher. Knuckles hopped in the back of the ambulance with her and Sonic and Amy jumped in their own car. The ambulance was soon speeding its way to the hospital.

"You'll be okay, Rouge," Knuckles told her. He was squeezing her hand and rubbing her stomach. "Just take deep breaths. You'll be okay."

Rouge kept her eyes shut the entire ride. The pain in her stomach was almost too much to bear. She could feel movement in her stomach and she felt like puking.

"Knuckles! It's coming!" she hollered in gasps. "Are we there yet?!"

Now Knuckles was beginning to panic again. "I think so!"

"We need to get there _now_!" Rouge yelled at him.

Knuckles looked out the back window and saw the ambulance pull into the hospital parking lot. They drove right up to the doors before the medics rushed to get Rouge out. They wheeled her in the hospital with Knuckles following close behind.

Before Knuckles knew it, he was being ushered into the waiting room by several doctors declaring he had to leave the room.

"Why?!" he yelled at them. "I'm her husband! I should be able to stay with her!"

"We're sorry, sir, but it's the rules around here," one doctor told him.

"We'll call you in as soon as the child's born," the other said.

Before he could object, the doctors walked back through the doors and back to Rouge's room to help with the birth. Knuckles sighed and decided all he could do was plop down in a chair and wait.

"First child, huh?"

Knuckles looked up and saw a black wolf looking back at him.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied, figuring the question was directed at him. "I'm a nervous wreck right about now."

The wolf laughed. "Don't worry, I was too when my wife had my first child. Now, I'm quite used to it," he said.

"How many kids do you have?" Knuckles couldn't help but ask. It took his mind off Rouge as well.

"This is our fourth. We have two boys and one girl right now. My wife's hoping this one will be another girl. I, frankly, will be proud either way," the wolf explained.

Knuckles smiled before glancing up at the clock that hung above the doors. Ten minutes had already gone by. Should he have been called back by now? What if something went wrong? When would he know?

A nurse then walked through the doors to the waiting room. Knuckles looked up hopefully. The nurse, a phennac fox, was holding a pink blanket and smiling ear to ear.

"Mr. Wolf?"

Knuckles' heart sunk. It wasn't his. That meant he still had to worry.

The wolf he had been talking to stood up and walked over to Knuckles.

"I hope everything turns out okay for you and your wife," he said. "Good luck, dude."

"Thanks," Knuckles said. "Good luck to you too."

The wolf smiled and then walked to the nurse. After peeking at what the blanket contained, they walked back through the doors.

--

"Knuckles, Knuckles wake up, man," a voice rang in his ears.

Knuckles didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until Sonic shook him awake. He was still in the waiting room in the hospital. Sonic and Amy were standing above him and the waiting room was now almost empty.

"Erg, what time is it?" Knuckles asked, before letting out a large yawn.

"7:23pm," Sonic answered him. "Any news yet?"

Knuckles shook his head. "I guess not. Otherwise the nurse would've woken me up to tell me," he said. He looked up at Sonic and Amy. "Do you think something's wrong? I've been waiting for two hours now. Does it really take that long to have a baby? According to Rouge it sounded like she was having it in the ambulance."

Sonic waved his hands. "Don't look at me buddy! I've never had a baby before!"

Knuckles looked to Amy.

"I haven't either! I'm just as clueless as you are!" she replied. "Although, I would think it would take a while. They don't want to rush it. Plus, I think they give the baby a bath and feed it before you or Rouge can really look at it," she thought out loud.

"But should all of that take two whole hours??" Knuckles asked again.

"It could I guess," Sonic said. "But dude, I just think you're panicking too much. Take it easy."

Knuckles took a deep breath and said, "I guess I could try and calm down."

Sonic smiled and turned to Amy.

"I'm gonna go call Tails and Shadow and let them know what's happening. Is it okay with you if they come, Knux?" Sonic said.

Knuckles nodded. "Sure," he said, although it sounded like he hadn't even been paying attention to what Sonic was saying.

Sonic walked to the other side of the waiting room to a pay phone while Amy took a seat next to Knuckles to wait for any news about Rouge and the baby.

--

At five 'till eight, the same phennac fox walked out into the waiting room again.

"Mr. Echidna?"

Knuckles' head snapped up at the call of his name. He turned to the phennac fox as she approached him.

"Is everything alright?" Knuckles asked.

The fox smiled and nodded. "Everything's fine. Your wife has successfully given birth to a healthy boy. You may now see them if you'd like," she said.

Knuckles grinned, but didn't move. He was too excited he couldn't control himself. That is until Amy nudged him hard in the stomach…

With that, Knuckles stood and followed the fox through the double doors which led to the patients rooms. He was led down a long hallway before the fox stopped in front of one room.

"They are right in here," she said; the smile still plastered on her face.

Knuckles thanked her before striding into the room.

Rouge was perched up against the head of the bed and she was holding what looked like a lump covered with a blue blanket. She gave Knuckles a tired smile as he approached her. When he stopped at the side of the bed, Rouge spoke to him.

"Take a look at your son," she said.

Knuckles watched eagerly as she pulled the blanket back a bit. Soon a tiny red face with large blue eyes was looking up at Knuckles. Rouge took the rest of the blanket off and Knuckles saw a tiny white line on the baby's chest where there would soon be a crescent just like his father's.

Justin was back. This time, however, it was real and Knuckles wouldn't have to send him home. He was already home.

"Would you like to hold him?" Rouge asked.

Knuckles nodded and soon baby Justin was handed to him. Knuckles carefully cradled the tiny echidna in his arms as he watched Justin squirm and search around the room with his big blue eyes.

Knuckles couldn't believe it. He was a father now. A real father. He was filled with so many emotions he couldn't even begin to describe them all.

He looked down at Justin as his tiny hand reached up into the air to stretch. Knuckles chuckled and turned to Rouge.

"How are you feeling?"

Rouge sighed and said, "Like I just ran a marathon. Twice."

Knuckles chuckled again. "Was it painful?" he asked.

"Aside from the fact that he was kicking the entire time he came out, no," she replied taking a sip of water from a cup at her bedside.

Knuckles looked back down at Justin again. He remembered his promise he had made to Justin when he came to the past years ago. Knuckles had promised to spend a lot of time with him. According to Justin, Knuckles and Rouge were gone most of the day while he stayed home alone. Now that Knuckles had control of the upcoming future, he vowed to spend as much time as he possibly could with Justin. Jobs could wait, family always came first.

"Knuckles?" Rouge said, breaking the silence. "Now that Justin's born, does that mean that whatever Eggman's plotting will begin?"

Knuckles' cheerful mood instantly disappeared. Oh yeah, Eggman. Knuckles gulped and tried to act as cheerful as he possibly could.

"Let's not think about that right now," he told her. "This should be a happy day, not a day filled with worry."

Rouge agreed with him and they came to the conclusion that they would forget all about Eggman so they could put all their focus on their new son. On Justin. When the trouble actually began, that's when they would take action. For now, it was a time of celebration. And that's just what Knuckles and Rouge planned to do.

"Should I go send in Sonic, Amy and the others?" Knuckles asked, handing Justin back to Rouge.

"Sure. I think they'd all like to see him again," Rouge said.

They kissed for a moment before Knuckles went back out in the waiting room to invite everyone to see Justin again. This was yet another day Knuckles and Rouge would never forget.

**Well, that was awkward. I don't really like how this chapter ended. And yes, I'm aware I'm rushing the story a bit. I'm trying to slow it down, but I'm still so far away from where all the action is! I need action! XP Well, as always… please review! It raises my self esteem! :D**


	8. Baby's First Word, Enemy's First Move

Chapter 7

Knuckles and Rouge were allowed to take Justin home two days after he was born. When they got back home two nights later, Rouge, still exhausted from the past few days, immediately headed to bed. Knuckles took Justin up to his room and put him to sleep in his crib. Justin rolled onto his stomach and stared at the stuffed teddy bear in the crib with him. At that point, the bear was actually bigger then Justin himself. Justin scooted himself over to the bear and hugged it and let out a squeal before falling asleep using his new toy as his pillow.

Knuckles smiled as he remembered the first night he had taken Justin to his house on Angel Island years ago. He recalled the song Justin had asked Knuckles to sing to him that night, declaring he sang it to him every night.

Now, as Knuckles watched Justin sleep, he sang the song once again. He had actually gone online a couple days ago to look up the lyrics so he could sing the entire song. And that's just what he did.

When the song ended and Knuckles was positive Justin was sound asleep, Knuckles walked across the hall to his and Rouge's room. He saw Rouge was already zonked out in the bed. He silently brushed his teeth and got ready for bed so he wouldn't awake Rouge. When he was finished, he climbed in the bed next to Rouge and stared up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

He was still having trouble believing that he was actually a father now. This wasn't like before when he was pretending to be 'Daddy'. It was real now and Justin was really his and Rouge's son. Just the thought of it put a smile on Knuckles' face.

--

Months passed and Knuckles and Rouge adapted pretty well to being parents. Justin grew a little bigger each day and soon he was trying to speak. At the moment it was all just gibberish, but every time he started saying something, Rouge and Knuckles would watch him and listen for his first real word.

Then one day, while Rouge was fixing lunch, Knuckles was playing with Justin on the living room floor. Justin was chewing on a plastic block and Knuckles was watching him occasionally glancing out the sliding doors to the back yard. It was a gloomy day and it looked like it would storm any second.

Justin had gotten bored of the block and started crawling over to the glass doors. Knuckles watched him make his way across the carpet. Justin had gotten quite good at crawling. He rarely fell over and he was very fast too. Sometimes Knuckles would not notice Justin begin to crawl off and he'd disappear. So far though, that had only happened twice.

Justin reached the doors and fell backwards into a sitting position. He looked out the doors just as the first few raindrops began to fall. Knuckles saw he was staring at them with wonder in his eyes. This was the first time Justin had ever seen rain.

Knuckles crawled over to him and joined him in front of the doors. Justin looked up at him and pointed one hand towards the rain.

"Oooooaaaaaag!" he squealed, a large smile on his face.

"Do you know what that is?" Knuckles asked him.

Justin only cocked his head.

"That's rain," Knuckles said.

Justin stared out the doors again at the rain before turning back to Knuckles.

"Can you say: Rain?" Knuckles asked him. He and Rouge were always trying to get him to learn any word. Knuckles thought this would be easy to learn.

"Raaaaoom?" Justin said.

_"So close!"_ Knuckles thought. "That's right! R-a-i-n. _Rain_."

Justin stuck his thumb in his mouth and gnawed on it (he only had two teeth).

"Raaiiim?" he said again.

"Closer!" Knuckles told him, the eagerness clear in his voice. "Try one more time. Rai_n_."

"Raaiiin?"

Knuckles beamed. "Yes! That's it!" he exclaimed.

Justin beamed as well and clapped his tiny hands together. "Rain! Rain! Rain!"

"Rouge!" Knuckles hollered. "Come here!"

Rouge rushed into the living room. "What, what is it?" she asked.

"Justin just said his first word!" Knuckles told her.

"Really?"

Knuckles nodded and turned back to Justin.

"Justin, can you show Mommy what you just learned?" Knuckles asked him.

"Rain!" Justin squealed while pointing out the window.

Knuckles smiled and turned back to Rouge who also had a smile on her face.

"That's great! He said his first word! Oooh, I'll go call Amy, you know she'll want to know!" she said. With that she went back into the kitchen and sure enough, Knuckles heard her dialing Amy's number.

--

Over the next few weeks, Knuckles and Rouge continued to teach Justin new words. In no time he could say 'dada' and 'mama', and he had even invented a word himself: 'Smoof'. Knuckles and Rouge assumed this meant food because Justin would always say it while in the kitchen or while he was eating.

On Justin's second birthday Knuckles and Rouge bought him his first Alphabet Book. Each night before they put Justin to bed, they would go through the book with him and show him each letter. By the time he was two and a half, he could almost read the entire book. The only exception was he'd get M and N confused. Once he got those letters straight, he'd get all the way to W before he'd mess up again. Whenever the letter W showed, Justin would flip the book upside-down and declare it was an M instead. Knuckles and Rouge always laughed when he did this.¹

Yep, life seemed to be going by smoothly. Knuckles and Rouge had totally forgotten about the shady character's threat and so had Sonic and Amy.

But that would change all too soon…

--

"Master it's been two years. Shouldn't we start commencing with our plan?" the character with the scratchy voice asked.

"You are just so impatient aren't you?" Eggman questioned him.

"Sir, all I'm saying is-."

"I've told you before," Eggman interrupted. "We have to wait until the child is older."

"He's two! Isn't that old enough?" the coated man asked.

"No," Eggman replied simply. "He's still too young. I don't want the child to die, and using the power just might do that at his young age."

"Just what are you planning on doing to the child anyway?" the mystery man asked.

Eggman grinned, but didn't answer. A loud sigh came from the corner where the coated figure stood.

"I still think we should do _something_," he mumbled.

That's when an idea came to Eggman's mind.

"Fine. If you want to do something so badly I'll give you an assignment," Eggman said.

The man rushed over to Eggman. "How can I help?" he asked.

"Before I get too carried away with this plan of mine, I suppose I should check to make sure the child actually posses the power I seek," Eggman explained. "So, I want you to sneak into their house tonight while everyone is asleep and get a hair sample from the child. Bring it back here so I can analyze it and make sure the child has the secret power."

"You can do that with just a piece of hair?" the coated man asked.

"Do not question my abilities boy," Eggman snapped back.

The man huffed and nodded. "Fine then. When should I depart?"

"Midnight," Eggman replied. The man started to leave the room when Eggman added, "And make sure you leave no traces that you were there. If you do and the echidna finds out you were there, they will be alerted and we can't have that. We need to keep everything low; for now."

The shady guy nodded and left the room.

Once out of Eggman's earshot he muttered through gritted teeth, "If you wanted to keep everything low then why did you make me give them a warning two years ago?"

--

At twelve-thirty in the morning, a coated figure was spotted walking down the sidewalks of a neighborhood. When he reached his destination, he checked all the windows of the house to make sure all the lights were off and everyone in the house was in bed.

The coated figure (A/N: I'm just gonna call him Shady Guy for the rest of the chapter.) then snuck around to the front of the house. He walked up to the front door and studied the locks. He would be able to pick one of them, but the other couldn't be done. The shady guy scowled before wandering over to the window by the door.

He took out a metal crowbar and wedged it underneath the window and pushed down on it. The window creaked as it was moved. Once it was raised enough so the shady guy could get his fingers underneath, he deposited the crowbar back into his pocket. He continued to open the window until he was sure he could fit through.

After checking the surroundings to make sure no one was looking, he slipped inside.

The house was dark, the only light being that of the moon. The shady guy carefully made his way to the living room. He had to make sure no one was still up watching TV or something like that.

After assuring that the first floor was completely deserted, he made his way to the stairs. From the landing, he could faintly hear the sound of snoring coming from one of the rooms up there. He knew going up and down the stairs was going to be the hardest part.

Slowly, the shady guy started making his way upstairs. He was halfway up when he stepped on one stair which let out a loud creak. The shady guy winced. The sound was loud in the silence and he ceased all movement until he was sure no one had woken up.

_"Why are stairs always so noisy?" _the shady guy asked himself.

He stepped on the next step and it creaked again. He could feel the perspiration building in his forehead. His blood was pumping as well. He took the next step up and thankfully it didn't creak.

When he made it to the top of the stairs, he wiped his forehead before focusing again on the task at hand.

The shady guy slowly made his way down the hallway. There were four rooms upstairs, two on each side. He looked inside the first one on the left and discovered it to be a bathroom. He checked the opposite room and found the master bedroom. He saw Knuckles and Rouge asleep in their bed unaware that the enemy was right outside their room watching them sleep.

The shady guy smirked. It'd be so easy to kill them right now. He didn't understand why the Doctor hadn't told him to kill them and just bring the child back to him. Sometimes the shady guy thought it'd be better if he was leading this operation instead of Eggman. He was also tired of doing whatever Eggman told him to do. He wasn't a slave. He didn't have to put up with this.

_"But he promised me. He promised he'd give me a great reward for helping him,"_ he thought. _"Although I still don't know what exactly the reward is."_

The shady guy shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't daze off now. If he did, he would surely get caught and that would be _bad_. He quickly started to sneak down the rest of the hallway. He peered in the last room on the right and found the baby's room. Perfect.

He quietly walked into the room and up to the crib. Inside was the child that supposedly had this special power. Again, the shady guy wondered why Eggman didn't order him to kidnap the child.

He shrugged and pulled out an empty vile. He unscrewed the lid and looked back at the tiny echidna. He had no idea how he would pull this off and not have the baby wake up. He just decided if the baby did start to cry he'd make a run for it.

The shady guy lowered his hand into the crib towards Justin. He found a loose piece of hair and quickly pulled it out. Justin flinched and moved around in his crib, but he didn't cry. The shady guy was a bit surprised at that. Relieved as he was, he couldn't believe the kid hadn't started bawling.

Not wasting anymore time, the shady guy bottled the hair and left the room. As he passed the master bedroom again, he heard a voice.

"Knuckles, where are you going?" the very sleepy voice of Rouge asked.

"I thought I heard a noise a while ago," Knuckles replied. "I'm going to go look around and check on Justin."

The shady guy froze. Crap, the echidna woke up.

_"Just my luck that he'd wake up just as I am making my escape,"_ thought the shady guy.

When he saw Knuckles get out of bed, the shady guy quickly, but quietly went down the stairs, skipping the two squeaky ones. When he made it safely to the landing, he bolted back to the window he came in through and exited.

But he was so fast with his exit that he forgot one very important thing…

He had left the window wide open.

* * *

¹: When I was a baby, I always used to do this with my alphabet book and my parents thought it was hilarious.

* * *

**I feel revived! All I needed to inspire me to write was put Justin back in the story! Now I feel like nothing can stop me! Muwhahahahaha! Erm… sorry. But seriously, I do feel better about this story then I did before. At one point I was thinking about discontinuing it. "What were you thinking?!", right? R&R!**


	9. IMPORTANT NOTE!

**!! Note !!**

**To all my fellow readers of **_**Wild Card**_**:**

**First off, I know using a chapter as a note is illegal on this site, but I just want to make sure everyone reading this story gets informed. As of today I am disbanding this story. The reason is because I have other ideas I want to elaborate on and other stories I want to write. I feel as though this story is holding me back from that. **

**I have also realized that this is definitely not my best work and I, personally, don't like it at all. If I were to finish it, I know it would not be satisfactory simply because I would be forcing myself to write something I can't put my heart into. **

**I will leave **_**Wild Card**_** up on this site because there is a slim chance I will continue this in the future. **

**I am also taking a break from Sonic fanfiction. I want to try and write for other categories so I can expand as a writer. I do have other Sonic stories I want to post, so I will be back, but they will not be posted any time soon. **

**So, this is Luv4Knux saying goodbye to **_**Wild Card**_** and goodbye to Sonic fanfiction (for a while). If you have any flames please keep them to yourselves. I understand I may loose fans because of this, but I simply cannot write something I can't put my heart into. **

**Thank you for your understanding. **


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